By Festus Nakatana
Namibiaâ??s national rugby team coach Dawid â??Hakkiesâ?? Husselman says a result will not be what they will push for, although he will be happy to be on the winning side as they prepare to host the South African Amateurs at the Hage Geingob on Saturday.
In a brief interview with Namibia Sport today, Husselman said the fitness level of his charges was the major worrying factor at the moment. He also expressed great satisfaction with the input by two South Africaâ??s coaches Basil Carzis and John Williams. Both Carzis and Williams are helping Namibia out with the conditioning and skills training and are part of the technical staff for the World Cup in France.
â??Their training is paying off, the fitness level is improving and I know the guys will be tired since we have been training hard this week, but the score will not be important to me, itâ??s a matter of me finding the right combination,â? says Husselman. He says he is also happy with the fitness condition of the local players and can only hope for the best on Saturday.
The side has however been dealt a major blow after lock Heino Senekal broke one of his fingers on Wednesday. According to Husselman Senekal will be out of action for six weeks. The former national scrumhalf who represented Namibia at the 2003 World Cup added that only a few foreign-based players would avail themselves for Saturdayâ??s encounter, as others will be doing duty for their respective clubs. â??These guys get paid by their unions and to get them released its quite difficultâ?, he said. Despite that he was optimistic that they would avail themselves by early August or by August 18 to start preparing in earnest.
The friendly match against the South Africaâ??s Amateurs will kick-start Namibiaâ??s preparations for the World Cup, while several other encounters are lined up. On July 28 they will engage the South Africa Universities in Windhoek. The Welwitchias will then tour Cape Town from the 9th to the 16th August t take on the Springboks, before ending their preparations at home against a local side.
Saturdayâ??s match will kick off at 15h00.